Embargo
by the forgotten sentiment
Summary: During World War I, the Allies placed a trading embargo on little Liechtenstein. It would have been the death of her, had it not been for some unlikely help.


This is my Hetalia rendition of Liechtenstein during World War I, just clips of her life during and after. I hope I don't have too many historical inaccuracies; I couldn't find much in-depth information about the country during that time.

Enjoy.

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><p><strong>Embargo<strong>

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><p>"Liechtenstein," the voice called, a visitor to her little home somewhere below on the ground floor. The blond girl was on her feet immediately, placing her sketchbook face-down onto the table before rushing down the wooden steps.<p>

"_Herr Österreich_!" Liechtenstein exclaimed when she saw the young man standing in the doorway. She hadn't expected him to come, not in person. But there he was, holding a large basket in his slender, bandage-wrapped hands. She paused, suppressing the impulse to hug him and giving a sort of curtsey instead. Austria wasn't one to give and receive affection so easily. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm delivering your supplies," he replied, holding out the basket.

"Thank you…" Liechtenstein sifted through the foods. Bread, cheese, vegetables, eggs… "Are you sure you don't need this? You and Miss Hungary are…"

"We're fine," Austria said, forcing a smile. It came off more as a grimace than a grin. This was the same man who raised her, taught her, took care of her… but at the same time he was different.

Life and death were taking its toll. His cheek was bruised a blotchy purple, his usually well-combed hair had lost its sheen and was singed at the tips, and his clothes were dotted with half a dozen holes. Most important, however, was the rifle he carried on his back. He rarely went armed, but recently it had become a necessity.

Chaos and bloodlust were in the air, and nowadays it seemed like the world was falling apart. Austria and Hungary declaring war on Serbia, Russia on the move, Germany violently pushing through Luxembourg and Belgium to launch his assault on France…

"I have some fresh peaches from the tree in the back," Liechtenstein said softly, pointing over her shoulder to the kitchen. "I'll get some for you and Miss Hungary."

"That would be nice."

He left the house with a cloth bag in place of his basket, greeted by the driver while he slipped into the back seat of the black car. With the turn of a key and the rumble of the engine, they rolled down the road. Liechtenstein watched until they vanished around the nearby hill.

He was returning to his home, to his wife, to his battles. Why fight? Why did they have to fight? It was brutal and bloody and tragic. Humans fell, countries fell… There was no telling who would survive and who wouldn't.

_I hate fighting_, she thought, reaching into the basket for a slice of bread and a jar of cranberry jam. _No one should have to die… Not like that_.

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><p>Across the Rhine, sometimes she would see a blond man patrolling his country's borders. He was always so focused, the rifle perched on his shoulders as he marched. Liechtenstein only knew his name, his neutrality, and rumors of his aggression. He was like her, unwilling to get involved in bloody battles that had nothing to do with him. When everything went to Hell, there had to be a place of peace <em>somewhere<em> in the world.

So when she saw, in the distance, the Swiss man conversing with two figures, she wondered what was going on. He spoke angrily, evident just by his violent gestures, his posture, and his gun pointed straight at the two. One of the other men replied with a wave of his hand. And then all three of them turned to stare across the river, straight at her.

She wasn't sure why, but she bolted for her house. Something about those two—members of the Entente—scared her. With good reason, too, for only an hour later a knock came at the door. She peered out the window through the curtains, sneaking a glance at a man with wavy blond hair, and another with bushy eyebrows. They were recognizable immediately.

Swallowing her fear, she opened the door. "H-how may I help you two?" she stuttered. Mentally scolding herself for being so timid, she added in a stronger voice, "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to discuss your connections with the Austro-Hungarian Empire," England said coolly.

_Oh no…_ "What is the problem?" she asked. "I'm a neutral country. I'm not a part of your war."

"But your connection to them is not something that we can merely overlook," France replied. "You're very close to Austria, aren't you? Even your country's prince lives in Vienna."

"We can't risk any assistance for them on your part," England explained. "What they're doing is wrong, you understand that, right?"

"I…"

"You understand why we have to restrict your trade with Austria and the other countries, don't you?"

Liechtenstein was dumbfounded. "You… You're doing _what_?"

"Our apologies, _mon chou_, but as the Brit has said, we cannot take any risks." France gave a sympathetic smile to the young girl and patted her on the head. She flinched and stepped back.

"You can't do that."

"We must."

"No!"

"You'd best prepare as much as you can now," England said, his thick brows furrowed. "Come on, Frog, we need to get back to the battlefield."

"_Oui_. _Au revoir_, little Liechtenstein."

She watched, speechless as the men left her home, her property, her country. This wasn't happening. They couldn't… really be doing this, could they? She _needed_ trade, needed to sell and buy and keep her country running. She pressed her back against the closed door.

Austria would find a way. He would, wouldn't he? He wouldn't let her and her people starve… would he?

No, no, this was too much to ask of him. He was busy with the war. He didn't have time to help her now. She needed to focus. She needed to pull herself together and make sure her people were okay. She needed to prepare more food, to regulate her factories…

Sliding to the floor, she pressed her face into her hands. _I'm not ready for this…_

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><p>They were a small country that couldn't sustain the population on their own. Despite how hard she worked in the farms and the fields and the cities, there wasn't enough grain, or produce, or meat, or money. Liechtenstein knew she was dying, slowly, day by day. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, twisting with every jolt of pain. It was her hunger, and the hunger of her country.<p>

She dragged herself out of bed, changing into her dirty, hole-poked dress and trudged down the stairs. These days she didn't even bother with her hair, keeping it braided over her shoulders even in sleep.

In the backyard she still had a meager supply of fruits and vegetables growing. She gathered as much as she could with shaky arms, setting aside a handful of berries and a last piece of bread for herself. Everything else… well, whoever was worse off than her deserved it.

_If I can survive just a little longer… The war is almost over, isn't it? If I can survive…_

But the damage had reached everywhere. She should have realized that everyone would be too busy helping their own countries to recover. She should have realized that Austria would suffer as much as she had. More than she had.

He couldn't help her. When she visited after the last shot had fired, she saw his house in shambles, the garden wilting, Miss Hungary gone. So much of his land, his empire, gone over the course of a few short years. He had nothing left. The only thing he could offer her was a hug and a whisper, "I'm sorry…" It was the first hug she'd gotten from him in decades, and she cherished its warmth, clutching his tattered coat and pressing her face into his chest. They stayed like that for several long minutes.

And then he let her go.

"I wish you the best, Liechtenstein. I hope… you make it through all of this." He turned away quickly, gesturing for her to leave. She did, curtseying like a robot and silently making her way through the front door.

When she looked back, she saw his tears.

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><p>On the night the rain fell in a torrential downpour, Liechtenstein wondered if it was a sign, if the heavens cried for her, her people, and all the countries suffering in the wake of devastation. She wandered the empty streets of Vaduz, knocking on doors, handing out the last of her provisions to the starving families. She tried to smile when she gave her old coat to the young boy shivering under the roof of a recently closed bakery. When he was out of view, she choked back a sob.<p>

_Oh, God… What am I going to do?_ A sharp pain wrenched at her gut, her chest, her entire body. She gasped, staggering, and leaned against the nearby wall. To catch her breath, yes, to catch her breath. But her legs gave out, and she fell to the cold, wet ground.

_The depression has left my home and everything around it in tatters…_

_There's not even enough food to eat._

… _I'm so afraid…_

_But… at least is can't get any worse, right?_

…

_Who am I kidding? This is the end for me._

_I wish I could stay a country for a little while longer…_

_Mr. Austria…_

_Where do countries go when they fall? Do they go to Heaven like humans?_

_Maybe I'll see Holy Rome again._

She closed her eyes, letting the icy rain fall across her face like needles. For it to end like this… a country who didn't even fight dying from the war… It was pitiful. It was pitiful, and ironic, and cruel. And yet, she groped in the darkness for some sort of upside, one good thing amidst the suffering.

If she had to die, at least she'd given the others a chance to live.

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><p>"Hey, are you okay? You know it's raining, right?"<p>

Who was it? One of her citizens wandering as she had? She would just have to tell them to leave, to let her fall like all nations eventually would. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

_I… know him…_

The blond man watched for several moments with sympathetic green eyes. Never had she thought he'd look so gentle, not with that Austria told her about him, not with what she observed of him from across the Rhine. Switzerland moved forward, kneeling down and pressing a hand against her forehead. "You have a fever."

"What… are you doing here?" Liechtenstein mumbled. He was not a sociable person, not one to nose around in other people's business. So how could he have wandered, alone in the pouring rain, from his home to hers by simple accident?

He replied by reaching into his pocket and pulling out a bundle of white cloth. He pressed it into her palms, unraveling the fabric to reveal the roll of freshly baked bread inside. It was still warm. "… I'm here to help."

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><p>Historical Notes: Before the end of World War I, Liechtenstein had a customs agreement with Austria, thus he had the "guardian" role for her at the time. Because of this the Allies (the Entente Powers; the main ones being the Triple Entente of UK, France, and Russia) were suspicious that she was an ally of Austro-Hungary and Germany. After the war, Liechtenstein had to form a customs union with Switzerland to survive.<p>

Also, Liechtenstein was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, and thus is actually one the of last remnants of it. Vaduz is the capitol of Liechtenstein. The Rhine is the river between Switzerland and Liechtenstein.


End file.
